Joey, Andrew, Ethan, Paul, Zach, Taylor and Ian

What's one to do with memories of all her celebrity crushes throughout the years?  Make a list and include pictures of course!  Let's start with the first boy I ever had a crush on. (Besides my neighbor's grandson, Jake, who I thought was amazing).

1.  Joey McIntyre - New Kids on the Block.  So I was in second grade when my love for NKOTB began.  I had folders, a huge button, sleeping bag, sheets, vhs of their concerts - you name it, I had it - but only if Joey graced the photos.  That curly hair and blue eyes captured me and I couldn't stay away.

 

2.  Andrew Keegan - known for a few movies, but Camp Nowhere is where my love for Andrew began.  Maybe it was the long hair?  Or the bad boy personality?  Not sure, but for a 13 year old girl who was just beginning to have interest in boys - he was perfect.

 

3.  Ethan Hawke - Reality Bites (and others).  I had a thing for Ethan, big time.  It had to have been his scruffy look - or again, bad boy personality (I see a theme here).  I remember sitting in 7th grade art class and we were supposed to paint something we love.  I painted "Ethan" in a heart, and my friend painted "Eddie" (for Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam).  Good times.

4.  Paul Walker.  This one is hard to talk about, because I never stopped and never will stop loving Paul.  His bad boy attitude in She's All That hooked me in, and I was stuck from then on.  His ice blue eyes didn't hurt his cause either.  I seriously am so sad that he is no longer with us.  Even if the movies were horrible - I'd watch anything he was in.  RIP Paul.

 

 

 

5.  Zach Efron.  Apparently at some point, this guy grew up and grew hot.  I mean, really!  Again with the piercing eyes - I can't handle it.  It also helps that he got rid of that awful hair he was sporting in the High School Musical days.  Just look!

 

6.  Taylor Kitsch - Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights.  Tim was another bad boy.  I don't know what it is with bad boys - but I am instantly attracted to them, even though I know in real life they would be bad for me.  But ohhhh Tim Riggins.  When FNL ended I was sad for weeks.  The tease of a movie just made it worse.  The muscles, accent, star football player status... yep.

 

 

6.  Ian Somerhalder - Vampire Diaries.  Ok I am now seeing a definite trend here - bad boys with piercing blue eyes.  Damon/Ian definitely has both qualities.  I think I might be seriously in love with him.  Vampire Diaries has gotten a little hokey for me to watch - but I still tune in every week just to see him.  When there were rumors of him playing Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey - I thought my life might be complete.  (for the record, I never read the books).  Ian needs to do more big screen movies so I can see him on a larger scale!

I had a really hard time picking one photo....

Before you go wondering or asking, I do have a happy marriage - and he does know of my love for all the bad boys mentioned above.  He has his list too!  This post was really fun to write, but so difficult to pick one picture of each guy.  Who is/was your celebrity crush? 

 

 

That Time I Met a (Small) Celebrity

My sister in law just got back from a bachelorette party in LA.  My first question to her was, "Who did you see?!"  I love hearing about celebrity sightings - it's like finding an amazing item on super sale and then having it be even cheaper at the register - it just doesn't happen very often.  But when it does, it's exhilarating!  She saw Emma Roberts, which is fun.  But the best part?  One of the girls at the party went to school with Prince William and Kate!  I know, right?!  She even knew them and went to the same parties.  Kate once gave her a ride home!  

While she was telling me all of this, all I could think of was "I wish I had stories like that!"  I always feel like I'm hearing about the time one of my friends or family members met someone famous.  Not me!  I like to think they have been around, I just haven't noticed.  There is one time that I remember, however.

Growing up in Iowa, the shopping wasn't ideal.  When it came time for my sister's prom, my Mom packed us up and we headed to the Mall of America outside of Minneapolis.  In the hotel, my friend and I were taking the elevator down to the pool when Alex Mack walked in!  I know that this isn't as exciting as Prince William or Kate, but to a 6th grader that grew up with The Secret World of Alex Mack, this was huge.

She was also in 10 Things I Hate About You, and recently made an appearance in Pretty Little Liars - all grown up.

10 Things I Hate About You

Pretty Little Liars

 I was 12 at the time, so speaking to her or getting my picture taken wasn't on my mind. (Apparently I met the Oak Ridge Boys and Raffi when I was younger, I've seen the pictures but don't remember at all!)

My dad had drinks with Charles Barkley, my sister has a picture of her shaking Obama's hand, my aunt is friends with Bill Clinton, and I'm still waiting for my big moment.  It's on my 101 in 1001 list after all - "take a picture with a celebrity".  I'll get there!

Who have you met?  Any good stories - I love hearing these!

Current Obsessions

Often times, I find a product, song, food, anything really and become fixated on it.  Like, I can't get enough.  I often focus so much on any given thing that the fascination wears out and I've moved on to the next thing.  Today I thought I'd share some of these things with you - no judging please :)

- Covet App.  Clothes, shoes, accessories, hairstyles, makeup!  In this game you enter "events" and dress your avatar accordingly with real life designers.  Others judge your outfit and you can win more clothes, shoes, etc.  I'm sort of obsessed - it's fun to dress someone else with items I wish I had myself.

- (This one is going to embarrass me) "Adore You" by Miley Cyrus.  I know that Miley is a hot mess, but I love this song!  I listen to it in the car and belt it out.  I first heard it while driving home after my Dad had an accident - not sure if it stuck with me because of that, but I still love it.

- Daily Burn.  I've recently jumped on the working out bandwagon.  It's almost swimsuit time (even though it doesn't feel like it in Chicago).  I love this program - $10/month, and they are all online workouts that you can do at home.  You pick your program, pace, length of workout and they do the rest.  So far I've been sore every day so I'm taking that as a good sign.  PS - first month is free!

- My Reef leopard print sandals.  Paired with a fresh pedicure, wearing these makes me feel like it could be summer soon.

- Shameless.  The title says it all, this show is shameless.  The scenerios that the Gallagher's get themselves in to are ridiculous - but we cant stop watching.  We just finished Season 2 on Netflix and can't wait for Season 3.

- Making lists.  I make one for things to do at work, home, ideas for gifts, blog posts, I could go on and on and on.  I love crossing items off!

- Last but not least, my trip to Vegas, which is THURSDAY!  It seriously snuck up on me but I cannot wait to sit by the pool, see Britney and catch up with some old friends.  Girls weekends are the best.

What are you current obsessions?  Anyone else listening to Miley?!

#Loveyourflaws

We've all been there.  You look in the mirror and see things about yourself that you don't like, almost immediately.  If you haven't, I am seriously jealous and proud of you at the same time.  It's easy to see our "flaws", or what society tells us are flaws.  Skin, hair, body shape, the list goes on and on and on.

Recently, Lorde posted on her Twitter this picture, with the caption "I find this curious - two photos from today, one edited so my skin is perfect and one real.  Remember flaws are ok".

This got me thinking.  My first thought was "Yes! I love it when celebrities show that they are normal people too!"  Then I started thinking about what my edited photo would look like, and what would be "fixed".  It made me think that yes, flaws are ok, and they tell a story about who you are.  Raising girls makes this issue even more important to me, as I never want them to grow up disliking something about themselves, but to have love for who they are and how they were made.

So I challenge you to look at your "flaws" and come up with a reason why, in fact, they can be a positive thing.  I'll go first.

The dark circles under my eyes show that I might not get a lot of sleep these days.  But that's because I have two littles that sometimes keep me up, and I am thankful for the fact that they make me a mommy.

My skin tone is uneven, I have sun spots and permanent freckles.  These show that when I was younger, I really didn't have a care in the world and could spend my summers by the pool lounging with my friends.

I have a popped capillary on my left cheek that is permanently red.  This happened while giving birth to my oldest, E.  Every day I see it can remind me of the day I become a mother.

My body shape... well... that's not in the best shape it's ever been in.  I'm a little lumpy and definitely saggy, but I was chosen to carry two babies, and with that comes extra body weight.  While I might not like the way it looks these days I am thankful that my body was able to do that.

I've always thought that my eyes were too deep set, and wearing a lot of eye makeup makes me look like I have a black eyes.  I inherited these from my father, and I love seeing pictures of his parents (whom I've never met) and love seeing that I look like them.  It's a piece of his family history that will be with me always.

So, I challenge you to begin looking at yourself in a more positive light and remember that if you look a little further, you can learn to #loveyourflaws.  Share yours with me on twitter !